Open Thread for Readers for June 2020
Misc / Need A Rec!book-pimp / Open Thread / Promotion16 Comments
Got a book you want to talk about? Frustrated with a book or series? In love with a new one? Found a buried treasure? An issue that keeps popping up in the books you are reading? Just want to chat about stuff in general?
I have had some disappointing reads recently, including for a few books I anticipated highly. Any recommendations for books I might like?
@Janine: Have you read “News of the World” by Paulette Jiles? Tom Hanks will star in the film, which probably tells you something about the main character. It’s not a romance but is rather charming. I think it’s good pandemic reading because it is engrossing enough to take you away from the headlines while you’re reading it, deals with serious issues issues but does not wallow in them, and has a happy ending.
@Susan/DC: I remember this book! Jayne reviewed it a few years ago. I didn’t know it had a happy ending. I am going to put it on my “want to read” list right now. Thank you!
@Janine, I’d recommend The Goblin Emperor, but I see you already read and lauded it. Instead I’ll suggest one of my other favorite finds of the past few years that has, like The Goblin Emperor, become a comfort read ~ Linesman by SK Dunstall.
From Amazon: “Full of fast action, interplanetary intrigue, appealing characters, and a fascinating new take on the idea of the sentient spaceship.”—Sharon Shinn, national bestselling author of Archangel
“S.K. Dunstall’s new series is fascinating and fun: rich with that sense of wonder that makes SF delightful.” —Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dead Heat
@Janine, I know you’ve reviewed a number of books by Ilona Andrews. She’s another author who recommends Linesman. You can see her post here: https://ilona-andrews.com/linesman-by-s-k-dunstall/
@Kareni: Thank you! :) I’ll take a look at it.
@Janine, you are quite welcome. I hope it will appeal.
I know you weren’t specifically looking for this, but The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard is a Goblin Emperor-esque book that I enjoyed.
I’m rereading old favourites for the most part at the moment.
@MMcA: So great to see you here! Thanks for the recommendation. I will take a look at The Hands of the Emperor since I’m such a fan of The Goblin Emperor.
For you and Kareni, since you are both TGE fans as I too am, I’m reading Katherine Addison’s follow-up now. It’s not a sequel or related in any way, and I am only 10% in, so it’s too early to say how good it is. But just reading her voice again is wonderful.
@Janine, I’m looking forward to that new Addison book, so it’s good to hear that it’s off to a good start. (I await the library hold with anticipation.) I’m particularly eager to read her forthcoming book that is set in the world of The Goblin Emperor.
@MMcA, I have a copy of The Hands of the Emperor that I bought a month or two ago after enjoying the sample. I should move it up my towering (virtual) pile. Thank you for the reminder/recommendation.
It’s not out until September in the UK, but I’m holding my soul in patience.
Hands of the Emperor isn’t as good as The Goblin Emperor, but it is nearly there. I think one of the things I love about TGE is that it’s a portrait of a really good person, which you don’t often read. I like Gilead by Marilynne Robinson for the same reason.
I also read Among Others by Jo Walton because I read something somewhere that compared it with TGE. (And that is the entirety of my recollection: I think I enjoyed it, but can’t remember anything about it, or if the comparison was justified.)
Right now I’m reading the second of The Orchid Throne books, The Fiery Crown.
Also @Janine, I did eventually read the latest Aaranovitch, and you were completely right. Thank you.
@MMcA, the main character in Linesman (which I recommended above) also comes across as a good person. You might try a sample and see what you think.
I’m also a Linesman fan and, to a lesser extent, a fan of The Goblin Emperor. I just read and enjoyed Finder by Suzanne Palmer after seeing it mentioned by Martha Wells and S.K. Dunstall. I’ve always liked SF but not the epic, military kind; it’s a struggle to find more personal, I guess, stories.
@Kareni: Oh, yes! The next book set in the same world as The Goblin Emperor is much anticipated here too. It’s called The Witness for the Dead. I hope that means it will center on Mer Celehar. He was one of my favorite characters in TGE so that would make me a happy camper. I would love a book about Csevet, too. I hope she writes one eventually.
The Angel of the Crows is pretty much Sherlock Holmes in a fantasy 1880s London setting, and with fantastical characters. I have heard one reviewer say that it’s too derivative of Sherlock Holmes. The last time I read Arthur Conan Doyle was in elementary school so I’m not able to judge that. I’m enjoying it a lot but readers more familiar with the original Sherlock may not.
@MMcA: Thanks for the recs. I have a print copy of Gilead that I’ve meant to read for years. Maybe this will get me off my duff.
Re. False Value. That is so good to hear! I’m glad it worked out for you. I’m eager for the sequel because I can’t wait for Peter to become a dad.
@MaryK: You’ve made me curious about Finder. SF is a genre that focuses as much on technological and /or sociological ideas as it does on characters, so some of the books can feel impenetrable or cold.
@MaryK, thanks for mentioning Finder by Suzanne Palmer; I’ve downloaded a sample. Regarding your desire to read more personal SFF stories: I can’t recall if I’ve previously suggested Lyn Gala’s Claimings series to you. The first four books in the series are favorites and tell the story of Liam, a linguist, and Ondry, an alien trader. It’s a male/alien male romance with elements of submission and caretaker domination. The first book is titled Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts.
I can highly recommend a mystery/romance by Lynn Messina – The Beatrice Hyde-Clare series. The writing is so good — witty, smart & funny. The mysteries are well done and the love story is wonderful. I discovered these books by happy accident within Kindle Unlimited and it has become my comfort read during these last few months of craziness. Six books with the latest one just out this week!